Rumble in the Jungle
The sun is shining and it has been just wonderful to feel like it’s finally Spring time! Here’s what we’ve been doing in our ‘Life on Earth’ topic this week…
Rumble in the Jungle
This week, our focus book has been Rumble in the Jungle by Giles Andreae and David Wojtowycz.
The book is a collection of fun animal poems. Whilst reading, the children enjoyed listening for rhyming words and noticing the patterns made with the words.
Our word of the week is Rainforest. We’ve been learning all about geographical features of rainforests and about some of the animals who live there.
In our writing, we’ve been remembering facts about rainforests. Lots of children are challenging themselves to write more- check out these amazing double-sided writing examples!
Maths
In maths this week, we’ve continued to develop our understanding of the composition of numbers to 10. Using the rhyme ’10 Fat Sausages’, we have found different ways to represent 10.
We have also used 10 frames and dice patterns to show ‘5 and a bit’ numbers to 10.
Help at home
Use the language – First, then and now to create a number story to match the picture.
Phonics
This week we have continued to read longer words as well as compound words such as windmill, handstand and lunchbox.
We’ve learnt the tricky words; there, when, what, one.
Help at home- Please continue to work through the weekly learn at home phonics sheets. We’ll continue to send these home each Friday.
Living and Learning- I know the importance of ‘five a day‘
Following on from our discussions about healthy balanced diets, we’ve been talking about the importance of getting your ‘five a day’.
The children spoke about why we should eat fruit and vegetables and what that might look like.
It keeps us healthy- Heidi
It makes us strong- Rupert
You should eat a rainbow- Albie S
Poetry Picnic
Each week we will be learning a new poem. We will recite this poem each day. By saying the poem out loud, we can focus on the sounds and rhythm of each word or line. We talk to the children about how this can help us become better readers. This week’s poem is called A Little Shell.
More learning from this week…
Getting ready for year one
We are now over half way through Summer 1 and starting to think about transition into year one. To get the children prepared, we’d like parents/carers to encourage children to come into school through their classroom door independently and wave them off at the waving window. We know there are a few children already doing this, which is great for developing that independence.
We will be asking that after the May half term break, all children come in independently.
Having said this, please know that our door will continue to be open to you for chats and if your child wants to show you their learning.
Thank you for your support.
Reminders and Dates
Thursday 23 May – Farmyard Festival: (Letter sent home) Please don’t go to the expense of buying anything new – creative adaptations of something you’ve already got will be fantastic. Outfits need to be suitable for school, safe and warm/cool enough to be worn all day.
Friday 24 May- School Closed: Training Day
SWIMMING DATES- Summer 1
Rainbow- 15 May
Sunshine– 22 May
Year 3,4 Science
This week, we have been Scientists.
Our enquiry question is ‘Does the number of seeds in a pot affect the growth of the plant?’
Each class has set the experiment up, planting either 1, 2 , 4 or 8 seeds in different pots. The children made sure each container had the same amount of soil, was placed in the same position in each classroom and is watered using the same amount of water. We will monitor and record the growth of the plants over the next couple of weeks.
Each child also planted their own sunflower so we can observe the growth over time. 
Help at home by encouraging your child to explain the experiment. Maybe you could plant some seeds too!
Year 3 Maths
This week, Year 3 have been learning how to recognise coins, count money and add amounts of money. We have been converting pounds into pence.
Help at home by counting different amounts of money – remember to check the value of each coin.
Deciduous or evergreen?
This half term, KS1 have been learning all about plants and trees in Science. During the past two weeks, our focus has been on trees in particular. We know that deciduous trees loose their leaves but evergreen trees keep their leaves throughout all of the seasons.
We started off by sorting trees, based on their leaves into 2 groups.
We have also been on the field this week to find out what type of trees are growing. We found out that most of the trees are deciduous. The most common was a lime tree.
We also found one evergreen tree on the field and this was a pine tree. We know pine trees are often found in colder climates. Their waxy coating helps to protect the leaves from ice.
(Thank you parents for allowing our Science lesson to happen by sending children in with wellies this week.)
3,4B Class News
In Geography, we’ve continued to learn about York – comparing it to Venice. We’ve looked at the population of both cities, learnt about the amount of tourists who visit on an annual basis and are now thinking about why tourists want to visit them – moving on to considering the issues raised by overtourism.
In PE this half term, we are developing our skills in basketball. This week we learnt about fitness for basketball and why it is important to keep fit and healthy. We did a carousel of activities around the playground, including star jumps, shuttle runs and burpees.
Help at home by asking us why it’s important to exercise regularly.
This week’s Science lesson was very exciting as we each planted our own sunflower seed. We will measure them on a weekly basis until the end of term and see how tall they grow!
We also planted multiple seeds in the same pot to investigate whether more seeds being planted together will have an impact on their growth. We have four of the same pot – one with one seed, one with two seeds, one with four seeds and one with eight seeds. Again, we will measure these weekly and see what we find out!
Help at home by asking us what conditions plants need in order to grow.
Spider Sandwiches
This week, children have been searching for spiders in Nursery and looking for their webs. We sang Incy Wincy Spider and made spiders in the malleable area using playdough. First, we had to roll a ball to make the body and then we rolled sausage shapes to add on the legs. Some children managed to count 8 legs to put on their spiders!
In the maths area, we sorted spiders by size and counted spiders carefully to match the numeral written on each web. During group time, older children counted spiders and looked at which web had the most/fewest spiders. We also talked about what happened if we had ‘one more’ or ‘one less’ spider on the web. For example: ‘There are 4 spiders on the web, 1 spider runs away. How many will be left? How do you know?’
In our phonics group time, the older children learnt a new sound -V. We looked at some objects and had to listen carefully to the sound that they started with. Can you hear a ‘V’ sound at the beginning of the word? Which is the odd one out?
Help at home:
For children moving into Reception in September, play games like ‘I spy’ where you have to listen carefully to the initial sounds in words. Get three objects, two that begin with the same sound and one that starts with a different sound. Can they spot the odd one out and tell you why? E.g. car, cookie, banana.
For children that are in yellow group and will stay in Nursery next year, begin to listen to sounds around you as you’re out and about. What can children hear in their environment? Can they hear birds singing, a fridge humming, a bell ringing?
Our other learning and interests this week have included:
- Making collages and learning how to join different materials together in the creative area.
- Re-telling one of our favourite stories from earlier in the year, ‘The Gingerbread Man’, with our friends.
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- Throwing small hoops and aiming to get them on the cones. How many did you get on? Who got the most onto the purple cone?
- Drawing patterns and writing our names in the sand.
- And…enjoying some sunny weather!
Next week’s learning:
Have you seen the tadpoles in Nursery? Next week, we’ll learn about the life cycle of a frog and check to see if there have been any changes to our caterpillars. They were VERY big at the end of last week!
Sound of the week – W for wave
Nursery Rhyme of the week – 5 Little Speckled Frogs
Walking through the jungle
This week our focus book has been Walking through the jungle by Julie Lacome.
Top tip for watching YouTube with your child: go to the settings cog along the play bar and turn off auto play – this avoids an inappropriate clip coming up automatically, and helps to discourage your child from passively watching clip after clip.This repeating story has been great for retelling from start to finish. We recalled the ‘action words’ used throughout the story: walking, running, leaping, swinging, creeping and wading.
First, we drew a story map to re-tell the story. Then, we used our story telling actions below to re-tell the story.
Finally, we re-tolled the story.
Every week, we introduce new vocabulary using the focus book. This week, our ‘word of the week’ is leaping – to jump quickly or suddenly a long way.
“The lion is leaping in the hot, sunny jungle” Albie said.
Design and Technology; using a tool
This week, we have been making a ‘bug hotel’. We’ve been carefully using hand drills to create holes, holding the tool firmly in place and using our strength to wind the handle.
Maths; composing 5
In Maths, we’ve been composing 5 and using the song ‘5 little kittens to explore the parts that make the whole number.
We’ve been using full sentences to explain what we can see on our fingers, as we move through the song:
“There are three kittens on the bed, there are two kittens that have bumped their head, there are five kittens altogether”
“There will always be 5 because we started with 5. We haven’t added any more” Harry said.
We’ve represented our parts on a Hungarian frame (or ‘die frame’):
Help at home– Collect 5 objects. Place some of the 5 objects in front of you and some hidden behind your back. Ask your child how many are hidden. Swap and take it in turns to be the person hiding the objects!
Your child is familiar with this game as we have played it in school. Encourage your child to explain why they know how many are hidden.
“3 are hidden because I know 2 and 3 makes 5. 5 is made of 2 and 3.”
Encourage your child to repeat the below phrases.
5 is made of ____ and ____.
____ and ____ make 5.
Please email us a quote from your child or a photo when playing the game. You’re child will get an extra star challenge on their challenge chart!
Phonics
Summer 1 week 3 has focused on phase 4 words with short vowels and longer words. We’ve learnt the tricky words; were, here, little, says
Help at home- Please continue to work through the weekly learn at home phonics sheets. We’ll continue to send these home each Friday.
Poetry Picnic
One week in every half term, we focus on a traditional nursery rhyme. This week we’ve been reciting Sing a song of sixpence.
Reminders and Dates
SWIMMING DATES- Summer 1
Rainbow Class- 15 May
Sunshine Class- 8 May, 22 May
3,4C Class Post
This week, we have been geographers.
We have enjoyed learning about Venice and York, comparing geographical features including latitude, area and climate.
In our reading lessons, we have discovered more about the city of Venice by reading a very interesting text.
In writing, we have completed our writing promotion for York using writer’s techniques like alliteration and rhetorical questions.
What a busy week! Well done, everyone.
Help at home by continuing to read regularly and by encouraging your child to access Times Tables Rock Stars.
3,4A Class News
This week, we finished writing our promotions about York. We created leaflets and made sure to use rhetorical questions, commands and alliteration. We then worked with our partners to check through our sentences. The children did an amazing job and it’s been lovely hearing them confidently reading out their favourite section to the class.
In Geography, we’ve been also been learning about York but from the point of view of comparing it to Venice. We’ve looked at the locations of both cities, learnt about their scale and are now thinking about why tourists want to visit them, before we move on to considering the issues raised by overtourism.
In PE this half term, we are developing ball skills by learning about the sport of basketball. This week was all about fitness for basketball and so we did a carousel of activities around the playground, including skipping, shuttle runs and ladder runs.
Help at home by asking us why it’s important to exercise regularly.
Living and Learning – Healthy eating
This week and next, Year 3,4 are looking at all things healthy eating!
So far, we have discussed what is meant by a ‘balanced diet’ and used the ‘Eatwell Guide ‘ to talk about the different food groups and roughly how much of each of the food groups constitutes a balanced meal.
Next week we will move on to explore what people should eat more or less of and consider the issue of hidden sugars. We will also learn about simple food swaps and ideas to develop healthy eating habits.
Help at home by asking us what the main food groups are!